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Denzel Washington will murder his way through The Tragedy of Macbeth on Apple TV+

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‘The Tragedy Of Macbeth’ starring Denzel Washington will appear on Apple TV+ in Q4 2021.
Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand will star in the Scottish play on Apple TV+.
Photo: Wikipedia

Apple TV+ clearly hopes to win more awards by picking up the rights to The Tragedy Of Macbeth starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. The film is set to premiere in theaters in the fourth quarter of 2021 before hitting Apple’s streaming service.

Preorder this portable powerhouse charger while it’s 50% off

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charger
This thing can charge your iPhone, iPad, AirPods, MacBook and Apple Watch all at once.
Photo: ScoutPro

As technology progresses, it seems that we all need more and more smart devices to power through our day productively: a smartwatch for better workouts, a laptop for better work production, wireless earbuds for better listening, and a smartphone for better communication. While all of these high-powered devices work hard to improve our lives, our reliance on them tends to drain their batteries — and sometimes, everything goes critical all at once.

This leather iPhone 12 Pro Max case won’t leave you feeling blue [Review]

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Woolnut iPhone 12 Pro Max leather case review: Blue to the max!
Woolnut's leather iPhone 12 case takes blue to the max.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Woolnut’s slim leather cases look fantastic enough that you might not mourn covering up your beautiful iPhone. And when I put a blue one on my ridiculously huge iPhone 12 Pro Max, it did more than provide an acceptably luxurious layer of protection.

It actually made my phone feel better.

Add game to your iPhone with GameSir X2 side-by-side game controller

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GameSir X2 Bluetooth Mobile Gaming Controller works with iPhone and Android
The GameSir X2 Bluetooth Mobile Gaming Controller is compatible with Apple Arcade and cloud-gaming services.
Photo: GameSir

Clip the GameSir X2 Bluetooth Mobile Gaming Controller to an iPhone or Android to add physical controls to the handset. It uses a split design that puts the buttons and joysticks on either side of the screen.

GameSir also launched the F7 Claw Tablet Game Controller for larger devices.

You’ve got to see this iPhone notch ‘fix’ to believe it

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This iPhone M1 concept is by Antonio De Rosa from ADRStudio.
A new concept design thinks outside of the box on removing the iPhone notch.
Screenshot: ADRStudio/ConceptsiPhone

The screen notch isn’t anyone’s favorite iPhone feature, and an iPhone concept makes a radical suggestion for repositioning it: the artist suggests stretching the top of the handset to make room for the front-facing camera and other sensors.

Watch a pretend Apple advertisement from the concept artist demonstrating the innovative new device now:

Prevent downloaded music from taking up too much storage on iPhone

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Optimize music storage iPhone
Don't let songs take up all your space.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

If you like to store music locally on your iPhone so you don’t need a data connection to listen to your favorite tracks while you’re on the go, you may find that, over time, your music takes up too much space.

You can prevent that from happening by optimizing music storage on your device so the songs you don’t listen to anymore are automatically deleted to make room for other content. We’ll show you how.

High school student makes impressive 3D renders of big-time Mac leaks [Setups]

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Ian Zelbo's monitor shows a render of a leaked MacBook Air concept he worked on with Jon Prosser. on.
Ian Zelbo's previous monitor shows a render of a leaked MacBook Air concept he worked on with Jon Prosser.
Photo: Ian Zelbo

It’s not every day you come across a high school student running a successful tech-based business – never mind one whose 3D renderings are routinely seen by thousands of people. But that’s the case with 17-year-old New Yorker Ian Zelbo and his RendersbyIan.

His detailed and realistic renders of leaked tech products, including Macs, get loads of exposure on social media from his clients, the likes of Jon Prosser of @FrontPageTech and Sam Kohl of iupdate.

UK charges repair shop $140,000 for selling fake Apple chargers

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Fake chargers
These turned out to not be legitimate.
Photo: BCP Council

A computer repair shop in Poole, England, has been charged damages amounting to $140,000 for selling unsafe, fraudulent chargers for Apple devices.

Investigators were initially tipped off when a shipment of 220 questionable items was held at East Midlands Airport in 2018. Following this, trading standards officers visited the offices of CK IT Solutions Limited, and recovered more than 1,400 products.

The captured devices — which were found to pose a risk of electric shock — were described as having “little or no distinguishable difference” from official Apple chargers. On the outside, at least.

Judge signals possible solution for Epic Games v. Apple court battle

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App Store faces barrage of antitrust charges
The judge may have dropped a hint about how she might end the court fight between Epic Games and Apple.
Photo: Sora Shimazaki/Pexels CC

If the judge in the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit decides to rule against the iPhone-maker, she may have already signaled the significant App Store change she would order to satisfy the game developer’s complaints.

The judge asked a question that shows she’s considering allowing developers to point customers to their own websites to make in-app purchases. Currently, these purchases must go through Apple’s payment system.

Apple opens up Developer Academy applications for new Detroit center

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Developer Academy
Training up tomorrow's coders.
Photo: Apple

Apple is expanding its Apple Developer Academy, a free training program in app development and entrepreneurship, to two new markets: Korea and Detroit, Michigan.

The Detroit expansion marks the first time the Developer Academy, launched in 2013, has been available to people in the United States. That’s in stark contrast to Apple’s normal rollout trajectory — whereby things launch in the U.S., then gradually become available elsewhere.

Develop your photography skills in this elite Hollywood master class

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photography
These courses reveal the secrets of two of Hollywood's most sought-after photographers.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

There is a talented individual behind the lens of every iconic movie poster and stunning magazine portrait. And surprisingly often, one of those individuals is either Michael Muller or Patrick Hoelck.

These longtime friends and photography colleagues are responsible for some of the most striking and globally recognized images, from Wolverine film posters to Rihanna album covers. Now, Muller and Hoelck are sharing the secrets of Hollywood-level professional photography in a 20-hour master class that’s now available for $99.

Was 1971 the best year for music? Apple TV+ trailer argues so

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1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
Coming to Apple TV+ later this month.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple offers a compelling sneak peek at its upcoming 1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything documentary series in a new trailer. Set to debut on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 21, the documentary argues 1971 — a.k.a. 50 years ago — was a crucial juncture for music and society.

As one of the interviewees quoted in the trailer notes, “I don’t think the music was a reflection of the times, as much as the music also caused the times.”

Full-body Animoji? Smart tech uses iPhone camera to track body motion

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Animoji
The future of Animoji?
Photo: Carnegie Mellon

Forget only animated avatar faces: a team at Carnegie Mellon University wants to bring the world full-body Animojis. As the director of the Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Chris Harrison‘s job is to help create the computer features of tomorrow.

In a newly published demo, shown off this week, Harrison’s team has come up with a way to let regular iPhones do full body tracking using only the front-facing camera — by estimating what the rest of your body is doing.

It works surprisingly well.

Apple TV+ Lisey’s Story trailer hints at spooky things to come from Stephen King

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Lisey's Story review: We're in for a wild ride in this Stephen King adaptation.
We're in for a wild ride in this Stephen King adaptation.
Photo: Apple TV+

Master storyteller Stephen King (everything from It and The Shining to Misery and The Stand) is coming to Apple TV+ on June 4.

More specifically, Lisey’s Story — one of the author’s most personal stories, and a rare adaptation he’s written the script for himself — is coming. And, from the look of the trailer, hopes should be pretty darn high.

Check out the trailer below.

Take push-button control of HomeKit accessories with Belkin remote [Review]

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Belkin Wemo Stage Scene Controller review
Press any of the three buttons on Belkin’s Wemo Stage Scene Controller to activate HomeKit accessories.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

You can activate up to six preprogrammed HomeKit scenes or accessories with the push of a button on Belkin’s Wemo Stage Scene Controller. The palm-size remote sits on a table or hangs on a wall, and lets you easily control HomeKit accessories all over your home. No wiring involved.

I’m fully committed to Apple’s home-automation system, and Belkin’s latest HomeKit gadget fit neatly into my setup. Here’s why.

New home automation alliance should deliver more HomeKit-compatible devices

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Matter is a new interoperable homer automation standard back by Apple, Amazon, Google and m ore.
Matter is going to… matter to fans of home automation.
Photo: Connectivity Standards Alliance

Apple is a leading member of a new organization creating a standard for home automation devices. A primary goal is interoperability, allowing accessories to connect to HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home, etc.

Previously, it was up to the makers of smart home products to make devices that worked with more than one voice control system. Many chose to support just one.

Preserve your favorite moments with this instant mini photo printer

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Photos
This portable photo printer gives you instant photos on the go.
Photo: HP

Nearly 80 years ago, a 3-year-old girl wanted to see a photo of her family vacation right after it was taken. But she couldn’t, because instant cameras weren’t invented yet.

That moment sparked the idea for the instant camera, invented by Edward Land and inspired by his daughter, Jennifer Land. Debuting in 1943, instant film cameras have long been a photographic staple for anyone who loves memorabilia and keepsake moments.

A portable mini photo printer

The digital age all but did away with many of the nostalgic wonders of the past. But the HP Sprocket Portable Instant Photo Printer is here to bring back this blast from the past with modern technology. This instant mini photo printer churns out beautiful, crystal-clear color prints from your electronic devices instantly through the Sprocket App. And it’s available now for just $79.99.

2021 iPad Pro beats every Intel MacBook in early benchmark tests

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2021 iPad Pro with M1 processor
The M1 processor in the 2021 iPad Pro has the tablet running faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.
Photo: Apple

The first iPad Pro with an M-series processor is apparently going to be as fast as many had hoped. Benchmark tests for the upcoming tablet show that it’s almost as speedy as the Macs released in late 2020. And faster than any Intel-based MacBook ever.

The 2021 model is more than 50% faster than the iPad Pro Apple introduced in 2020.

App Store blocks billions in attempted fraud

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App Store blocks billions in attempted fraud
Apple cracks down on App Store fraud wherever it can find it.
Graphic: Apple

The App Store protected customers from more than $1.5 billion in potentially fraudulent transactions in 2020, Apple said Tuesday. And the company’s App Review team rejected thousands of fraudulent applications.

The timing for this statement from the iPhone-maker isn’t accidental. In the ongoing Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, the game developer argues that the App Store is a hinderance to innovation. Cupertino wants customers to hear its side of the story, too.

Brydge’s latest keyboard case for iPad Air and iPad Pro includes multi-touch trackpad

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The Brydge Air Max+ can be preordered now. Shipping starts in June.
The Brydge Air Max+ is both an iPad Air/Pro case and a clip-on keyboard and trackpad.

The new Brydge Air Max+ wraps the iPad Air 4 or 11-inch iPad Pro in a protective case, and adds a removable keyboard and trackpad.

It’s a larger version of a keyboard case Brydge recently introduced for the basic iPad. And there’s a similar model for the largest iPad Pro.